Heavy security surrounded a Guwahati hotel on Friday as Assam Police detained Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President Uday Bhanu Chib and several other national and state Youth Congress leaders. Among those confined at Hotel Iris was Assam Youth Congress President Zubair Anam.
According to the IYC, the detentions occurred ahead of a planned protest over the death of Congress worker Mridul Islam during the Raj Bhawan Cholo march earlier in the week. The leaders, who had gathered to stage demonstrations, were allegedly held in preventive custody and barred from leaving the premises.
Condemning the police action, Chib remarked, “We were detained as if we were terrorists. Our mobile phones have been confiscated. We came here to seek justice for martyr Mridul Islam, but the murderous Assam Police will not allow it.”
The IYC accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of suppressing dissent. A statement from Chib’s office questioned the legality of the detentions, calling it an assault on democratic rights.
Mridul Islam succumbed to injuries sustained during the December 18 protest organized by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC). The protest, which sought to highlight various grievances against the BJP-led state government, ended in chaos as police deployed tear gas, reportedly leading to Islam’s fatal injuries.
In addition to demanding accountability for Islam’s death, the Youth Congress also planned to protest Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
The detentions have sparked widespread condemnation from the Congress, with APCC organizing demonstrations to decry the police’s actions.
Meanwhile, Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Barah confirmed a suo-moto case had been registered regarding the law and order issues arising from the Raj Bhawan Cholo protest.
Further, authorities in Guwahati’s Dispur area issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. The order bans public gatherings of more than five individuals and prohibits demonstrations, processions, and slogan-shouting within a 1 km radius of the Capital Complex without prior permission.
Security personnel have been deployed across the area to enforce these restrictions, which came into effect on December 19. The measures underscore heightened tensions as the Congress continues its campaign against the state government’s actions.
